Monday, February 24, 2014

BBC World Service to reduce shortwave transmissions

The BBC World Service will further reduce its shortwave transmissions next year as part of a £15m savings drive which staff have been warned will be a "real stretch".

The money will be used to invest in new TV and digital services, part of a programme called Invest to Innovate.

An extra £6.5m is being pumped into the World Service's budget this year, alongside an extra £1.5m of savings, helping to create 130 jobs. New initiatives include a global version of Radio 1's Newsbeat.

But the BBC's director of global news, Peter Horrocks, said further savings would be required in the future.

Horrocks told staff on Tuesday: "There will be a respite on editorial job cuts, for a year, but we will need significant further editorial and organisational savings in subsequent years.